Ice build-up on aircraft surfaces can cause dangerous in flight situations and has led to numerous fatalities over the years. On structures such as the airframe, airfoils, wings, etc. icing leads to increased weight, increased drag and decreased lift. On structures such as engine intakes, icing on the leading edge can create flow problems and lead to ice ingestion, which can degrade operation of the engine or damage components of the engine.
To prevent the dangers associated with icing, numerous ice protection systems have been developed over the years to protect the aircraft from icing and/or to shed ice from the surfaces if ice accumulates. The primary ice protection system in use today are bleed air systems that re-directs a portion of the compressed air from the engine before the air enters the combustion chamber. The compressed air is pressurized hot air that is used to heat up surfaces of the aircraft to prevent the build-up of ice. Although bleed air systems are effective, they reduce the efficiency of the engines and increase the weight of the aircraft. Accordingly, there has been a long felt need for an ice protection system that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the known systems.